Welcome to Racerhead, on a weekend off for Lucas Oil Pro Motocross, but a busy one for amateurs all over the country hoping to qualify at the Regionals for the 2016 Rocky Mountain ATV/MC Loretta Lynn’s AMA Amateur National Motocross Championships. Good luck to all.
The True Value Thunder Valley National is always a good one, and this year’s track and event in general were exceptional. But the place is gaining a reputation for some pretty quirky get-offs that have ruined summers for some of the top riders. In 2012 it was Yoshimura Suzuki’s James Stewart, at the time the series points leader, who crashed after a photographer crossed the track in front of him. Last year, in the same section of the track, it was then-GEICO Honda rider and points’ leader Eli Tomac crashing himself into double shoulder surgery. This time it was Red Bull KTM’s Ryan Dungey, who wasn’t leading the points, but he was wearing the #1 plate.
Although TV missed the crash, you can catch it from HRC Honda’s Cole Seely’s GoPro right here.
It comes a little past the 1:40 mark and while it doesn’t look too severe, going into anything head-first can be a problem, and it was for Dungey. He gutted out the moto and actually salvaged second overall, earning the Ricky Carmichael Hard Charger Award for passing the most riders in a moto at Thunder Valley. But when the pain didn’t go away afterwards he went to get X-rays, after which the doctors suggested a CT scan discovered a fractured vertebrae in his neck and a herniated disk.
Now, after 99 consecutive starts in Lucas Oil Pro Motocross, the defending AMA 450 Motocross Champion is out for at least two months. He was the only rider that seemed to be near the pace of Soaring Eagle/Jimmy John’s/RCH Racing Suzuki’s Ken Roczen, and his departure certainly let some of the air out of what’s been a fine first three races of the series. Roczen is riding better than I’ve ever seen him; if not for the fork problem at Glen Helen, he would be 6-0 in motos right now.
Dungey’s injury doesn’t mean his season is over, but it’s hard to imagine him coming back until August. He’s always been a patient, tireless worker. Here’s hoping he enjoys a little Rest & Relaxation over the course of the next two months and then comes back strong. We’ll miss him at High Point, Muddy Creek, RedBud and Southwick, and of course Spring Creek in Minnesota, which is effectively his hometown race. But at least they have those other two locals—and I mean local locals—battling for the AMA 250 Championship!
I’m speaking of the Martins, of course, the older of which almost joined that list of guys who crashed on that one long downhill sweeper while leading the points in their class. Yamalube/Star Racing Yamaha’s Alex Martin was wearing the red plate for the first time in his career, and he started his day off right by earning the pole position ahead of his younger teammate Aaron Plessinger. But then early in the moto, in that same sweeper, AP got out of shape and crashed at speed. Alex could not avoid him and went down as well, getting up outside the top twenty. He charged back to eighth, and then finished a strong second in the second moto, challenging the red-hot Joey Savatgy’s Monster Energy/Pro Circuit Kawasaki KXF250. Martin lost the points’ lead to the winner Savatgy, which means #37 will be red-plated when the series resumes next Saturday with the Red Bull High Point National.
Finally, before we get into the rest of the news, we need to wish a man well. For twenty years Erv Braun has been the voice inside your head when you're at a supercross race. The longtime PA announcer has been calling the races for many years, and we've jokingly referred to him as "Filibuster" for his amazing ability to talk about the races and the riders and anything else in the world for hours at a time, practically non-stop. Now Erv needs thoughts and prayers as he battles back from a stroke and a heart attack, as his friend and fellow announcer Tom White explained on Facebook:
"If you've attended a Supercross event in the last 20 years, you've no doubt enjoyed Erv Braun and his talents to explain the story from the booth to the fans. According to friends, he suffered a stroke last night and also a heart attack. He is in critical condition and he needs our prayers. Mentor to me in life and talking on the MIC. Most important, a friend!"
HIGH POINT’s 40th (DC)
Next weekend will mark a big milestone here for all of us, as the Red Bull High Point National will mark the 40th running of our local national here at Mt. Morris, Pennsylvania, fifteen minutes up the road from our office in Morgantown, WV. Since 1977 the track has been a mainstay on the schedule, with the first winner being none other than Tony DiStefano, a Pennsylvania guy himself. Over the years the track has changed from time to time, and it even ran backwards in ’79. It’s been everything from muddy and cold to hot and dry, but it’s always been a lot of fun. It also makes for a busy week for everyone here because so many of our moto friends are in town, and they want to check out the office or the lake or the nightlife or whatever. With that in mind, we’re going to have two parties down at Jameson’s on High Street, on Thursday and Friday night. The first is an unofficial Racer X Kick-Off Party (a lot of people are still traveling in on Thursday) and the second more of an official Racer X Party (though I doubt a lot of the people working on Saturday at the races will be there too late). Everyone’s welcome to both!
Pro Perspective: Should Jeremy Martin Be Worried? (Ping and JT)
Ping: Jeremy Martin isn’t the fastest guy in this class every weekend anymore. Between Savatgy, his brother and Cooper Webb he is going to have a fight on his hands all summer long. That’s great news for fans because each moto win is literally up in the air at this point. Freaking out isn’t going to help Jeremy’s cause so he needs to stay consistent and do the things that took him to two national titles previously. Personally, I like Savatgy’s aggression and I think the Carmichael program is working well for him down in Florida. At the moment he has momentum on his side but, again, this is a long summer.
JT: For JMart, I'm not freaking out at all. Sure, things haven't gone exactly to plan but I'm still right in this. He knows much more than we do about why things haven't been perfect so I'm sure he is working to correct that. I don't see any panic in his riding or in his interviews so that leads me to believe he is working through some issues and will improve. Way too early for a freak-out and he is the wily veteran of this group. We’ll also need to watch and see if this is just part of the transition that comes with no longer working with Johnny O’Mara, because any major change can be.
THE NUMBER: 1-2-3 (Andras Hegyi)
Let's look back to the FMF Glen Helen event and a marquee day for Yamaha. The brand of three diapasons swept all three positions on the overall podium in the 250 class. The 27-year-old Alex Martin got his first win in his 83rd race and in his ninth AMA National season. He also became the 78th winner of the small-bore category. With Jeremy second and the Martins Yamalube/Star Racing Yamaha teammate Cooper Webb third overall, Glen Helen marked only the second Yamaha sweep in 250 National history. The first actually happened at Hangtown in 2014, with Jeremy Martin the winner, Webb second and then Valli Motorsports' Yamaha rider Christophe Pourcel third.
This Yamaha sweep at Glen Helen marked the eighteenth sweep in AMA 125/250 history. Kawasaki has done it nine times, Honda and Suzuki three times apiece, two for Yamaha and one for KTM. (And only Kawasaki and Honda can claim taking the first four places.)
Sweeps by brands in 125/Lites/250 National
1977 Hangtown: Suzuki 1-2-3
1987 Lakewood (CO): Honda 1-2-3-4
1987 Spring Creek: Suzuki 1-2-3
1989 Hangtown: Honda 1-2-3-4
1989 Southwick: Honda 1-2-3-4
1990 Washougal: Suzuki 1-2-3
1997 Budds Creek: Kawasaki 1-2-3
2007 Spring Creek: Kawasaki 1-2-3
2007 Steel City (PA): Kawasaki 1-2-3-4
2007 Glen Helen: Kawasaki 1-2-3
2010 Freestone (TX): Kawasaki 1-2-3
2011 Hangtown: Kawasaki 1-2-3
2011 Red Bud: Kawasaki 1-2-3
2011 Spring Creek: Kawasaki 1-2-3
2011 Washougal: Kawasaki 1-2-3
2014 Hangtown: Yamaha 1-2-3
2015 Glen Helen: KTM 1-2-3
2016 Glen Helen: Yamaha 1-2-3
2017s (Kyle Scott)
On Tuesday Husqvarna held a media launch for their 2017 FC, TC, FX, and TX products at Cahuilla Creek. Blake Wharton came out and we had a great time spinning laps on their two-stroke line up.
What’s new with 2017’s? The big news is the TC250, which has an all new chassis and engine. New engine components include the cylinder, piston, and crankshaft, a Magura hydraulic clutch (which is also raised 4mm), and an overall engine architecture which centralizes oscillating mass. A lot of these changes mirror the redo the rest of the TC line got last year.
On all the bikes, there’s a new upper triple clamp, new handlebar support, air forks, the rear brake lever has been extended by 10mm, new rear brake pad material, and they’ve switched to the Dunlop MX-3S. The four-strokes now have aluminum cylinder head mountings, which reduce weight by a quarter of a pound, standard and aggressive engine mapping switches as well as an on/off switch for traction control. The TC125 and TC250 now have a Mikuni carburetor and the TX300 has an electric start powered by a lithium battery—pretty cool!
We didn’t have time to go through all seven of the bikes available, but Blake did get plenty of time on the TC125, TC250, and TX300.
The TX model, by the way, is Husqvarna's new cross-country two-stroke whereas the TC model is the motocross version. The TX only comes in a 300cc model and comes with an electric start (but you can upgrade the TC250 motocrosser to a 300 with a kit.) The TX 300 comes with a 2.6 gallon clear tank, 18" rear wheel, off-road specific suspension settings, a 6-speed semi-close transmission, and a side stand. The TX is designed to be an off-road bike that you can also take to the motocross track (after you take the kick stand off) and also attack rough, fast off-road races. Stay tuned to Racer X Online next week for the video with Blake Warton and his thoughts on the Husqvarna’s new two-strokes.
THE NUMBER: 57 (Andras Hegyi)
After last weekend's MX2 Grand Prix in France, only Stefan Everts (101) and Antonio Cairoli (76) have more GP wins than Jeffrey Herlings. The Dutch star caught up with Joel Smets in the record books. Like the Flemish Lion, Herlings now has 57 GP wins. Jeffrey has always said that for him records are very important. He would want to overtake Everts' all-time record of 101 GP wins, and he is already more than halfway to get his target.
Herlings debuted in the GPs in 2010, so it took for him only seven seasons to collect his 57 wins. Moreover, Herlings will turn just 22 years old this year. No one has gotten to 57 GP wins so young, and he's needed less seasons to do it than anyone. The former record holder, Cairoli, was able to get his 57th win in his 10th season in 2013, when he was 28 years old. Everts got to his 57th win in his 14th season in 2003, at 31 years old; Smets did it in his 14th season in 2003. Smets took his 57th GP win on August 31, 2003, at Loket at the 650cc Czech GP when he was 34 years old.
Smets, the 5-time world champion, would race and win only in the big-bore categories, in the 500cc and 650cc. Herlings has raced and won only in the small-bore class, in 250cc MX2. Smets is the current Sports Director of KTM Motocross Factory Racing. He raced in the FIM World Championships between 1990 and 2005, and won races in 11 of his 16 seasons. Herlings, meanwhile, has been able to win in every season so far, bur he's still not in the premier class. The big question about Herlings' future is whether or not will he be able to continue his dominance on the 450 and keep closing ground on Everts?
(Want to see what our contributor Andras Hegyi's work looks like back at his home in Hungary? Check it out here.)
Hey, Watch It!
Thunder Valley Remastered
Big, lifted pickup trucks are the rage in the U.S. They’re not even legal in Germany. Find out about that and more from Ken Roczen in the latest episode of The Weege Show /2016/06/07/racer-x-films-the-weege-show-ken-roczen
Want to see some old-school green? Check out Kawasaki’s new commercial with their heritage in motorcycle racing. Also, check out our thoughts on the new 2017 KX450F.
Big opening round for the Canada’s Rockstar Energy Drink Nationals in Canada over the weekend. Here’s Direct Motocross’ video review of the first round, which saw visiting American Davi Millsaps win on the KTM Thor factory team:
Random Notes
High Point has a full Amateur Racing schedule booking ending Saturday’s Red Bull High Point National on June 18. Come race the same track the pros do on both Friday and Sunday. Click HERE for more information and classes.
JGRMX’s Coy Gibbs joined the nationally syndicated John Boy and Billy Show this morning to talk about the upcoming 2016 Red Bull Tennessee National in Blountville, TN. With Muddy Creek Raceway hosting the only Lucas Oil Pro Motocross National in the Southeast region of the United States and JGR’s ties to NASCAR, which is extremely popular in the Tri-Cities area surrounding Bristol Motor Speedway, JGRMX perennially participates in Tennessee National’s local media. The 4th Annual Red Bull Tennessee National is set to stage the fifth round of the Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship on June 25, with a robust amateur racing program bookending the pro race day on Friday and Sunday.
To find more information and purchase tickets, visit muddycreekraceway.com.
Dear Racer X,
I’ll be over to invade Morgantown in a week or so, so please warn the locals. If possible, please find my attached ElCamoto license plate, love to get it in the Racer X tag section…. * CANNOT wait for High Point.
Ciao baby,
–v/r Rupert X
Todd Huffman of the MX Files has a new project that sounds like it's going to be an awesome motocross film, but he needs a little help:
"Well, it's been a long time but we are getting going on our next film..."1981". The story of America's Motocross des Nations team. We are starting to get organized on this and hope to be in Italy this September shooting. Not much to say so far other than it will happen. Look for more info, teasers, etc. in the near future.
If anyone has or know of high quality photos, snap shots, film, video, etc. from these two races in Lommel and Bilstein from 1981 please contact me. If you know people in Belgium or Germany that might have archives, let them know. BTW...just to tease everyone...I do have BOTH motos, complete from the Lommel round in 1981. Never seen in the US before....but you'll have to wait."
For more on the Canadian Nationals check out DMX Frid'Eh Update #24.
And good luck to Thunder Valley promoter David Clabaugh, who will be hosting a Loretta Lynn’s Regional this weekend, as well as competing in it: Clabaugh is trying to qualify in both the +45 and +50 classes. Good luck, David, hope we see you on the line in Tennessee for the big race!
Thanks for reading Racerhead, see you at the races.
